Christ, and his Judaism

[The Great Architect]

I should start by saying that I probably know very little (compared to the rest of you nice folks) about Christianity. I'm only just starting to learn.

Firstly,I am under the impression that, historically and religiously speaking, Jesus Christ was a Jew. And that he was quite an important person within the Jewish community.

However,it was those of his followers who were Jewish who did not believe later on that he was the son of God.(I think this is correct)

What caused them to disbelieve Christ's divinity and also,when did their opinions' change?

I hope this makes sense. Thank you.

 

[PureX]

However,it was those of his followers who were Jewish who did not believe later on that he was the son of God.(I think this is correct)

What caused them to disbelieve Christ's divinity and also,when did their opinions' change?

I hope this makes sense. Thank you.

The Savior that the Jews were expecting to come to them, they imagined would come to them like a bolt of lightening and wielding a mighty sword, to smote all their enemies, and to force the world into righteousness, and all that sort of thing. They never imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that this Savior would come as a humble preacher, and specially as a pacifist, at a time of occupation and subjugation. (There are a lot of Christians, today, that still refuse to accept this aspect of Christ.) This supposed "Savior" came to them looking just like a regular man, and talking about a resurrection of the spirit, and about how love and forgiveness would heal and save mankind from itself. And this is NOT the Savior that they were all waiting for. They were waiting for a Savior that would fix everything for them, through violence and magic. They certainly were not looking for a Savior that would tell them that they had to do the work of their own salvation by loving their enemies and by responding to them non-violently. And this is why so many of them saw Jesus as an impostor. Except for the rumors about miracles, there was nothing about Jesus that resembled the mighty Savior that they were all expecting and anticipating. They weren't looking for any personal spiritual salvation, they were looking for the vengeance of a mighty and violent God.

I think the people who did recognize Jesus as Christ were exactly those people who WERE looking for spiritual salvation. They were able to see their own need for such spiritual salvation, and to appreciate the value of it when Christ blessed them.

And I think this struggle still goes on today in the hearts and minds of both Christians and non-Christians. Especially the struggle with the idea of a non-violent, and non-"magical" salvation. This is not what many of us want, and so we either reject Christ all together, or we just ignore the non-violent aspects of his message and imagine him to be more like what we wanted him to be. Same goes with the idea of God having to do feats of "magic" to be "God".

 

[joeboonda]

Yes, the Jews ignored the prophesies that told of Jesus as the Suffering Servant as in Isaiah, also the Bible says that due to their sinfulness, God blinded their eyes and made them dull of hearing so they missed it.


Isaiah 53


1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

1. Matthew 13:15
   For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
   Acts 28:27
   For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

...,I am under the impression that, historically and religiously speaking, Jesus Christ was a Jew. And that he was quite an important person within the Jewish community. ... However,it was those of his followers who were Jewish who did not believe later on that he was the son of God.(I think this is correct)

I find it most unfortunate that a question such as this would be posed in a forum restricted to Christian explication and apologetics.

 

[The Great Architect]

I find it most unfortunate that a question such as this would be posed in a forum restricted to Christian explication and apologetics.

do you think I should have posted it somewhere else? All I want really is an answer to my question, free of preconceived ideas.